Getting a copy of your birth chart: instructions and real-life reflections on finding your birth data.

When it comes to learning about ourselves, there's a myriad of modalities and paths available at our fingertips.

Chances are that if you stumbled your way in here you might be giving astrology a chance.

In this case, recovering your birth data and getting a copy of your birth chart is the first step on a road that might last a life time.

 Here are some basic tips and reflections I would give my younger self based on my personal struggle with finding my precise birth time.

The easiest way to find out your birth data for most people is obtaining some form of birth record.

A birth certificate or a similar document from from the hospital in which one was born are the preferred sources for birth time information. 

A second place to look would be a baby book, a family bible, sometimes babtisimal records or other similar written family keepsake. More and more this information is casually shared through social media posts or is recorded in text communications with our loved ones.

The third option is oral tradition, and the age old habit and ritual of remeniscing and celebrating the pivotal moments of initiation in between giving birth and taking the first breath through storytelling.

On your personal quest to find your birth time and place you might find your answer almost immediately and be able to find your Ascendant with degree and minute precision. What a blessing!

Well, friends, allow me to tell you my personal quest, In hindsight it was quite the adventure. 

I showed interest in astrology at quite an early age in the late 90's, influenced as many others by the work of Italian astrologer Paolo Fox (the italian version of Walter Mercado).

I remember drilling my grandparents for this precious piece of information. My persistence did end up giving me some good clues, but nothing that was exact  to the minute. Family keepsakes and mementoes became more and more unavailable to me while growing up, due to some family instabilities life in my teens and 20s.

When I got married, and got the necessary paperwork together, I saw it as an opportunity to reach out to the hospital where I was born, only to find out they had long closed the maternity ward . The hospital was now specialised as a paliative care center.

So, there I was in my early 30's, defeated and resentful.

I was supposed to feel like a grown up and have all the answers, right? And still, this one particular piece of information eluded me over and over again.

It took me a long, hard minute to realise that along the way, from the haydays of listening to my daily horoscope with my breakfast, until now, I had learned a lot of valuable lessons.

1) Keep showing up for the quest of self-knowledge.

As I said at the very beginning, astrology is only one of the many ways in which we can get to know ourselves.

Through the ups and downs of life I found that simply showing persistance in asking myself the big questions ("Who Am I?", "Why Am I Here?")

built a certain amount of resiliance in me over the years . It kept me growing, learning, moving forward even in moments of stagnation in other areas of my life.

2) Remember the stories of your elders.

Even if I was never able to find my exact Ascendant degree, over time and re-learning the same lessons over and over again, I became able to look at the planetary movements that were happening around my birth day from  a more holistic point of view.

Taking time to remember and reflect on the stories passed down through generations, with practice and patience, enabled me to uncover much more than enough data to fill in the gap left behind by my exact birth time.

3) Know what you are looking for, but don't forget to take in the big picture.

When you're looking for your exact birth data, you're looking for an exact point in space and time. It is a very powerful piece of information, don't get me wrong, but along the way you might find that widening  your search is also helpful.

Getting to know your rising sign, the phase of the moon on the day you were born, ruling out if you were born before or after sunset, or exploring the element and modality of your sun sign etc... Can also draw you closer to find out who you are and give answer to those itchy and persistent existential questions.   

So, if you're about to take your first step in your personal adventure with astrology and feel overwhelmed by the road ahead of you, I hope this small reflection on my personal journey brings you some comfort.

Time always moves forward, but there's no need to feel rushed. Self-healing and knowledge will come gradually, just keep being curious and patient with yourself.

Talk Soon,

Gaia Andrea.